Hydrogen Technology Venture Launches in Bowling Green

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A new tech company is coming to Bowling Green, bringing dozens of jobs to Warren County.

What You Need To Know

UFS ARK will be a joint venture of United Fiber Sensing and OgMentum ARK. The two companies will build fiber-optic sensors that can detect hydrogen leaks. This will provide safety measures within pipelines, fueling infrastructure, and industrial facilities. The company will also allow potential research opportunities for Western Kentucky University students and staff.

>> In Other News: HyOrc Positions Green Methanol as the Economic Solution to Shipping’s Decarbonization Challenge

The venture is a partnership between United Fiber Sensing and OgMentum ARK, which moved its headquarters to Bowling Green earlier this year, creating a new company, UFS ARK.

Together, the two companies will build fiber-optic sensors that can detect hydrogen leaks.

Remco Nieuwland, founder of United Fiber Sensing, said:

You need to have cable methods to install the readout units, the software to inform the acid owner of a hydrogen storage or transport location.

Kent Murphy, CEO of OgMentum ARK, said:

They developed the sensor itself; the coding of the sensor’s hydrogen.

“They’re partnering with us so that we’ll build the fiber sensor itself, the box that sits on top that tells you hydrogen is leaking.”

In a release announcing UFS ARK, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce said the global hydrogen market is projected to reach over $300 billion by 2035. The announcement also called hydrogen a key decarbonization tool, powering transport, storing renewables, and replacing fossil fuels in industry.

Warren County Judge/Executive Doug Gorman said this investment will also help Bowling Green’s economy.

We’re at the front door of this, getting these investments, getting these partnerships together and seeing a future for our area in hydrogen.

Murphy said the joint venture could save lives by providing safety measures within pipelines, fueling infrastructure, and industrial facilities.

A little bit of hydrogen could cause an explosion, so detecting a leak is very important.

The company will also team up with Western Kentucky University, offering students and professors specialized education, training, and research opportunities in hydrogen sensing and fiber optics.

Source: Spectrum News 1 | Hydrogen Central